Tub washing machine support structure

ABSTRACT

An upright tub of a washing machine is supported above a base on a plate which in turn is supported by flexible rods attached to the plate and the base, with the corresponding one end of the rods rigidly secured and the other end located in resilient means; in a preferred arrangement, the plate has an upwardly extending flange and a flexible member is bearingly inserted between the flange and the adjacent side wall of the tub.

3,669,389 1 June 13,1972

United States Patent Goto ....248/l8 248/21 X .248/22 X [54] TUB WASHING MACHINE SUPPORT 3,373,962 3/1968 Blalikloch et STRUCTURE 2,334,858 11/1943 Beattie.....'......... 2,792,231 5/1957 [72] Inventor: Kazuhlro Goto, London, Ontario, Canada GSW Limited-SSW Limitee July 28, 1970 Primary Examiner-William H Schultz Attorney-Douglas S. Johnson [73] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

ABSTRACT [21] App1.No.: 58,905

.248/22, 287/85 R ..........................Fl6j15/02 .248/13,l8,21,22,26,350

tub.

2,589,796 3/1952 Ge1dhof...................................248/22 4 Claims, 3 Drawing figures PATENTE'nJummn 3.669.389

INVENTOR. KAZUHIRO GOTO Haas/a 5 Attorney FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a washing machine support structure.

PRIOR ART In free-standing washing machines with upright tubs wherein there is a centrifuging operation to remove a substantial amount of water from the clothes it is important to prevent excessive vibration of the machine during this centrifuging operation and essential to reduce vibration forces transmitted to a floor support to such an extent as to dispose with the requirement of bolting the support to the floor.

Various support structures have been proposed which will reduce the vibrations transmitted to a floor support during centrifugion. A particularly advantageous support structure which isolates vibrations from the base is described in US. Pat. No. 3,373,962 and this involves supporting the upright tub of a washing machine above a base member by means of a plurality of flexible rods attached to the tub and to the base member, the upper ends of the rods being located in individual rubber bushings while the lower ends are rigidly secured to the floor support. Each bushing is secured against a horizontal abutment provided by a shaped plate welded to the sides of the tub. However, it has been found that the stresses induced in these welded plates due to the centrifuging action may be sufficient to cause stress cracking not only in the weld areas but in the plates themselves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention dispenses with welded supports on the side of the tub and contemplates locating the base of the upright tub on a plate; in a preferred embodiment, the side wall of the tub adjacent to its base has a skirt of flexible material, such as plastic, which bears against an upwardly extending flange to the plate, thus forming a tray. Inward of the flange the plate is preferably dish-shaped to form a ring and depends downwards in the form of ribs, the lower ends of which converge to form the center portion of the tray. The flange of the tray is divided into four substantially equal segments, the ends of adjacent pairs merging into an integral horizontally disposed abutment which in the preferred embodiment constitutes an outwardly projecting extension of an individual rib.

The plate is supported by means of the flexible rods described above, the lower ends of the rods being rigidly secured'to the base member with the upper end of each rod located in individual resilient means which in turn is attached to the tray at the horizontally disposed abutment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in relation tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine support structure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a part sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE'PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings only those parts of the washing machine are ledge 16 which provides the requisite support for the base of the circular tub l0. Outward of the ledge 16 is an upwardly extending flange 18 constituted by four substantially equal segments. An inwardly disposed flexible skirt 20 is in bearing relationship against each segment of the flange l8 and the adjacent side wall of the tub 10. A particularly suitable material for the skirt is a film made of plastic.

The ends of adjacent segments of the flange 1 8v are turned outward to form projecting ears 22 which are joined by a horizontally disposed abutment 24 located at a plane below the base of the tub 10.

The inward edge of the ledge 16 merges into a downwardly disposed body portion 26 having a rounded cone or dishshaped appearance; opposed pairs of apertures 28 are provided in the body portion 26 with the result that ribs 30 are formed which merge in the apex of the body portion 26. Each rib 30 merges at its upper end into an individual of the horizontal abutrnents 24.

Secured to the underside of the body portion 26 of the tray is a plate 32 which has a diametrically opposed pair of downwardly depending angle members 34, the horizontal flange 36 of each member 34 providing a damper platform. A disc 38 formed of damping material bears against the underside of each flange 36, the disc 38 being carried on a bifurcated spring 40 secured by bolts 42 to the base 44 of the washing machine. This damper arrangement is self-cleaning and eliminates the frequent noise problem which results from the collection of dust in arrangements where the damper discs bear downwards onto the damper platforms.

The tray 12 is supported on vertically disposed rods 46, described in the above US. Patent, the upper end of each rod being attached to the underside of an individual of the horizontal abutments 24 through a bushing 48 having an integral top flange 50 which is surrounded by a rubber bushing 52, which, for ease of assembly, is made in two halves, split diagonally. The lower end of the rod 46 is rigidly secured to the base 44 by threading the rod 46 below an integral flange 56 which bears against the top of the base plate 44; the rod 46 is secured in placethrough a nut 58 and washer 60 which bears against the outside of the base plate 44.

Iclaim: I

l. A washing machine structure for supporting an upright tub above a base'membencomprising: a plurality of spaced apart flexible rods, a plate supporting the base of said tub, said flexible rods being attached to said plate and to said base member, a first end of each of said rods being rigidly secured to said base member, and a second end of each of said rods being located in resilient means on said plate; said plate having an upwardly extending flange outwardly of said tub; said flange on said plate being divided into spaced apart substantially equal segments; and an integral horizontally disposed abutment on said plate between each adjacent pair of segments, each said abutment being secured through said resilient means to the second end of an individual one of said flexible rods.

2. A washing machine structure according to claim 1 wherein flexible means is inserted between said flange and the side wall of said tub.

3. A washing machine structure according to claim 1 in which said plate has a downwardly depending dishshaped wall portion inwardly of said flang and spaced apart apertures formed in said wall portion defining a plurality of ribs, each having an upper end, the upper end of each one of said ribs merging into an individual one of said horizontal abutments.

4. A washing machine structure according to claim 3 in which said wall portion supports a pair of diametrically opposed substantially horizontal plates, an opposed pair of spring means being attached to said base member, and each of said spring means having a damping disc bearing against the underside of the one of said pair of horizontal plates. 

1. A washing machine structure for supporting an upright tub above a base member, comprising: a plurality of spaced apart flexible rods, a plate supporting the base of said tub, said flexible rods being attached to said plate and to said base member, a first end of each of said rods being rigidly secured to said base member, and a second end of each of said rods being located in resilient means on said plate; said plate having an upwardly extending flange outwardly of said tub; said flange on said plate being divided into spaced apart substantially equal segments; and an integral horizontally disposed abutment on said plate between each adjacent pair of segments, each said abutment being secured through said resilient means to the second end of an individual one of said flexible rods.
 2. A washing machine structure according to claim 1 wherein flexible means is inserted between said flange and the side wall of said tub.
 3. A washing machine structure according to claim 1 in which said plate has a downwardly depending dish-shaped wall portion inwardly of said flange, and spaced apart apertures formed in said wall portion defining a plurality of ribs, each having an upper end, the upper end of each one of said ribs merging into an individual one of said horizontal abutments.
 4. A washing machine structure according to claim 3 in which said wall portion supports a pair of diametrically opposed substantially horizontal plates, an opposed pair of spring means being attached to said base member, and each of said spring means having a damping disc bearing against the underside of the one of said pair of horizontal plates. 